BURTON-UPON-TRENT, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 15: Henri Lansbury of Aston Villa looks on during the Carabao Cup Second Round match between Burton Albion and Aston Villa at Pirelli Stadium on September 15, 2020 in Burton-upon-Trent, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
According to the Mirror, Aston Villa outcast Henri Lansbury has emerged as a target for Championship outfit Bristol City before the end of the January transfer window.
The 30-year-old has cut a frustrated figure on the sidelines after being left out of Villa’s 25-man Premier League squad for the season. Lansbury’s contract at Villa Park is due to expire next month and the midfielder is free to leave the club on loan or on a permanent deal to rebuild his career. (h/t Mirror)
Lansbury joined Aston Villa from Nottingham Forest for £2.7million back in January 2017 and immediately established himself as a key player at Villa Park. The midfielder started 17 games in the Championship during the 2016-17 season but slipped down the pecking order in the following campaign.
The former Arsenal graduate started just once and played a meagre 98 minutes of league football during Aston Villa’s promotion-winning Championship campaign in 2018-19. Lansbury played a bit-part role last term, featuring 10 times in the Premier League.
However, the writing seemed to be on the wall for Lansbury after he was axed from the club’s PL squad last year. As a result, the midfielder has been restricted to just three appearances in the Carabao Cup so far this season.
Having failed to break into Dean Smith’s plans in the Premier League this season, it would make complete sense for Lansbury to seek a departure before the January window slams shut.
Aston Villa are already pretty well-stocked in the middle of the park with accomplished players like Ross Barkley, Douglas Luiz and John McGinn competing for places.
Marvelous Nakamba is also in the mix while Villa recently roped in Morgan Sanson from Marseille to add more quality to their midfield. Hence, it looks highly unlikely that Lansbury’s situation at Villa Park is going to change between now and the end of the season.
With the player’s contract set to expire in the summer, a return to the Championship with Bristol City would surely be in the best interests of his career. Lansbury boasts an excellent record in the second-tier, having excelled for the likes of Watford, Norwich City and Nottingham Forest earlier in his career.
Aston Villa need to get rid of the deadwood in their ranks to make room for more new arrivals in the summer and Henri Lansbury certainly falls in that bracket.
While the Villans should ideally look to bag some sort of a fee for the midfielder this month, allowing him to see out the remainder of his contract on loan elsewhere wouldn’t be a bad option, either. That would reduce the pressure on the club’s wage bill, allowing them to save funds for the future.